Interviewhttps://www.autismspeaks.org/taxonomy/term/40936/0
enAutism Speaks co-Founders Reflect on Vatican Autism Conferencehttps://www.autismspeaks.org/news/news-item/autism-speaks-co-founders-reflect-vatican-autism-conference
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<p>Autism Speaks co-Founders Bob and Suzanne Wright spoke with Zenit.com about their meeting with Pope Francis as the Vatican autism conference. </p>
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<span class="date-display-single">December 03, 2014</span> </div>
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<p>The Vatican&rsquo;s recent conference, <a href="http://www.autismspeaks.org/news/news-item/photos-vatican-shines-light-autism">&ldquo;The Person with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Animating Hope,&rdquo;</a> was aimed at reducing stigma associated with autism. Pope Francis held a mass for families affected by autism to close the conference. <a href="http://www.autismspeaks.org/news/news-item/pope-francis-holds-mass-families-affected-autism">Watch a video of the mass here.</a></p>
<p>Autism Speaks co-Founders Bob and Suzanne Wright <a href="http://www.autismspeaks.org/news/news-item/suzanne-wright-gets-standing-ovation-vatican-autism-conference">spoke at the conference on volunteerism and received a standing ovation</a>. Recently, Mr. and Mrs. Wright spoke with <a href="http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/autism-speaks-catholic-church-can-be-a-big-help-in-understanding-autism">Zenit.com. </a>Read an excerpt from that interview below.</p>
<p><strong>ZENIT: Let&rsquo;s talk about your experience at the Vatican this week at this conference dedicated to autism. How has your experience been?</strong></p>
<p><strong><img align="left" alt="" border="0" src="http://www.autismspeaks.org/sites/default/files/docs/img_1414_1.jpeg" style="padding:5px;margin-right: 5px; border: 0px;" />Suzanne:</strong>&nbsp;Well, we had been here when Cardinal Egan was made a Cardinal [Cardinal Edward Egan of New York]. This and then have been a very spiritual time. But this embracing our autism community globally from the Vatican is really amazing, and it really is what this Pope is all about ... &nbsp;The families on the margin, the people on the margin, and the children with autism, who are really on the margins.</p>
<p>And the idea that he has embraced this is truly extraordinary because we&rsquo;ve been at this for ten years and I&rsquo;ve always said, and I am Catholic, and I&rsquo;ve been to Cardinal Dolan&rsquo;s office, and Cardinal Egan&rsquo;s office, and I&rsquo;ve been to all of them over the past 5 or 6 years, asking them to help me to get the Catholic Church involved because the Church is such an extraordinary leader in so many ways. And look what they did for AIDs around the world, just embracing the people who needed their help. And [Pope Francis is] really a leader, a spiritual leader, who people need to hear! To hear the Pope speak on autism is wonderful. His message would reverberate around the world. It&rsquo;s extraordinary.</p>
<p>But I really think, too, that it needs to go to all faiths. This is the leader of our Church. That&rsquo;s the one thing we all have in common and that&rsquo;s our religion. &hellip; Autism doesn&rsquo;t care if you&rsquo;re Muslim, Protestant, or Catholic. So I think this is a chance for the world&rsquo;s faiths to step in line with our Church and the Pope, and see what we can do as far as healing around the world.</p>
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<p><strong>Bob:</strong>&nbsp;Well, from a very practical standpoint, the Catholic Church manages an enormous number of healthcare organizations, hospitals, homes, retirement areas, clinics, all over the world. So to have them focusing on autism, especially given all the Catholic healthcare workers, is a huge number of people. That&rsquo;s very positive.</p>
<p>Any words that the Pope puts forth on this subject will really get some resonance, not only in the healthcare community, but in the public, especially in places like Latin America which is heavily Catholic. The stigma can be reduced in 20 seconds, 40 seconds. [Pope Francis] can reduce that stigma, just by saying: &lsquo;You need to help these families. No blame here. You have to help and pull together. I pray for all of you.&rsquo;</p>
<p>Also since there&rsquo;s thousands and thousands of people that are doctors, nurses or management in healthcare, that are in the Catholic system, this channels back to them, too, and is very beneficial.</p>
<p><strong>ZENIT: Would you say you are getting something out of this conference itself?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Bob:</strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;It&rsquo;s the fact that they&rsquo;re signaling to these healthcare organizations&mdash;there&rsquo;s probably several million people&mdash;that this is important and you better stay abreast. You better pay attention &hellip; There&rsquo;ll be write-ups from Archbishop [Zygmunt] Zimowski, President of Pontifical Council for Healthcare Workers, that will go out to all these thousands and thousands of locations, so that will be the prize. More so than the presentations, it&rsquo;s more about how they summarize it and send it out to all of these healthcare workers&hellip;. This will help a lot.</p>
<p><strong>ZENIT: How can the Catholic Church help with combating autism? Can it help?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Bob:</strong>&nbsp;Because the Catholic Church is everywhere. It will help. No question. And the workers will get the message, too, that they&rsquo;re being supported.</p>
<p><strong>Suzanne:</strong>&nbsp;People are starting to realize this is truly a problem that, thank God, the Vatican is truly addressing. Now we have a door opened here. I am sure they&rsquo;ve whispered the word in many countries&mdash;autism. This is going to really provide a platform to have open discussion and dialogue about autism.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/autism-speaks-catholic-church-can-be-a-big-help-in-understanding-autism">Read the full interview at Zenit.com.</a></p>
InterviewPopevaticanWrightsZenitWed, 03 Dec 2014 21:30:47 +0000Felipe Maya282691 at https://www.autismspeaks.orgVIDEO: Why North Carolina Needs Autism Insurance Reform Nowhttps://www.autismspeaks.org/news/news-item/video-why-north-carolina-needs-autism-insurance-reform-now
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<p>Autism Speaks' Lorri Unumb on the need for ABA coverage in N.C.</p>
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<span class="date-display-single">August 04, 2014</span> </div>
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<p><strong>(August 4, 2014) </strong>-&nbsp;Autism Speaks Vice President of State Government Affairs Lorri Unumb was interviewed on WBTV of North Carolina about the status of the autism insurance reform bill in the state senate. The bill would make Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) available to thousands of families in the state.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Legislation requiring the coverage has twice passed the state House of Representatives, but continues to languish in the Senate.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.autismspeaks.org/advocacy/advocacy-news/poll-82-support-north-carolina-autism-insurance-bill">Poll results indicate that 82 percent of North Carolina voters support requiring private health insurance companies to cover the treatment of autism.&nbsp;</a></p>
<p>ABA is an intensive, one-on-one treatment that, according to decades of research, can help nearly half of young children with autism achieve normal functioning.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Unumb recently appeared on&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wral.com/wral-tv/video/13825029/">WRAL-TV&#39;s &quot;On The Record&quot;&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;in a debate with Michelle Douglas, a spokeswoman for Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) of North Carolina over the coverage of ABA.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Autism Speaks recently posted a blog series that came straught from families in N.C. who need autism insurance reform.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autismspeaks.org/on-the-road-autism-insurance-reform">Read North Carolina stories here.&nbsp;</a></p>
AdvocacyABAAdvocacyInterviewNorth CarolinaTue, 05 Aug 2014 00:50:06 +0000Felipe Maya268576 at https://www.autismspeaks.orgNebraska Radio Talks Autism Awareness, Insurance Reformhttps://www.autismspeaks.org/news/news-item/nebraska-radio-talks-autism-awareness-insurance-reform
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<p>The topic is close to home for host Bill Boyer, he has an 8-year son on the spectrum.</p>
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<span class="date-display-single">April 17, 2014</span> </div>
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<p>Nebraska&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="http://kneb.com/">KNEB radio</a>&nbsp;host&nbsp;Bill Boyer interviewed Vicki Depenbusch, Autism Speaks&#39; Light It Up Blue and Nebraska advocacy chair. She spoke about early detection, the Light It Up Blue campaign, tool kits and how close Nebraska is to passing autism insurance reform. The topic is close to home for host Bill Boyer, he has an 8-year son on the spectrum. Listen to the full interview in the clips below.</p>
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NewsAwarenessinsuranceInterviewNebraskaRadioReformThu, 17 Apr 2014 17:59:03 +0000Felipe Maya260321 at https://www.autismspeaks.orgNPR Talks Wandering with National Autism Associationhttps://www.autismspeaks.org/news/news-item/npr-talks-wandering-national-autism-association
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<p>Ever since the case of missing New York City teenager Avonte Oquendo, a national conversation about wandering has begun</p>
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<span class="date-display-single">November 21, 2013</span> </div>
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<p>The case of missing New York City teenager Avonte Oquendo has spurred a national conversation about wandering in the autism community. NPR host Celeste Headlee interviewed the National Autism Association&rsquo;s Lori McIlwain about her experience with her own son on the spectrum. McIlwain&#39;s child has wandered more than once but was luckily found safe. He now wears a tracking device partially funded by law enforcement which emits a radio frequency so police can track him.</p>
<p>McIlwain&nbsp;also discusses why amber alerts are not used for children with autism who wander and precautions that schools and parents can take. She also offered tips for anyone who happens to spot a wandering child. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>Listen to the whole interview <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=246552267">here</a>.</p>
<p>Check out our <a href="http://www.autismspeaks.org/news/news-item/7-steps-you-can-take-prevent-wandering-your-child%E2%80%99s-school">7 steps to prevent wandering at your child&#39;s school</a>.</p>
https://www.autismspeaks.org/news/news-item/npr-talks-wandering-national-autism-association#commentsNewsInterviewNational Autism AssociationNPRWanderingThu, 21 Nov 2013 21:36:48 +0000Felipe Maya249736 at https://www.autismspeaks.orgAdam West talks Autism Advocacy and Catwomanhttps://www.autismspeaks.org/news/news-item/adam-west-talks-autism-advocacy-and-catwoman
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Adam West is lending his famous voice to Sound Off for Autism Speaks. The Batman actor tells us why this cause is so important to him and answers some questions about his six-decade career. </div>
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<p>Adam West talks about Sound Off for Autism Speaks and answers some questions about his six-decade career. </p>
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<span class="date-display-single">October 11, 2013</span> </div>
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<p><strong><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.autismspeaks.org/sites/default/files/docs/adam-west.jpg" style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto; display: block; max-width: 100%;" /></strong></p>
<p class="rtecenter"><em>Get a custom recorded message from Adam West&nbsp;<a href="http://soundoff.autismspeaks.org/site/c.ahJOK2MIJfLWH/b.8455933/k.BE03/Home.htm">HERE</a></em><a href="http://soundoff.autismspeaks.org/site/c.ahJOK2MIJfLWH/b.8455933/k.BE03/Home.htm"><em> </em></a><em>with all the proceeds going back to Autism Speaks. </em><em>The campaign ends on October 13<sup>th</sup> so get your message today!</em></p>
<p><strong>Why did you choose to participate in the Sound Off for Autism Speaks fundraiser?</strong></p>
<p>It&#39;s becoming too prevalent in our society. As an actor-communicator I am deeply saddened to see autistic kids struggling to communicate. There are too many of them without help.</p>
<p> <strong><a href="http://www.autismspeaks.org/news/news-item/ed-asner-autism-my-life-makes-me-better-man">Ed Asner</a> is a big supporter of Autism Speaks; could you tell me about your friendship with him? What has that relationship taught you about autism?</strong></p>
<p>Ed and I have been in the same racket for 50 years. We go way back. It&#39;s tough to see an old pal have to deal with this in his own family. Thankfully, he&#39;s made many folks more aware of this developmental problem and I&#39; m sure he&#39;s sped up valuable research to find a cure.</p>
<p><strong><strong>Which character was more fun to play--Batman or Mayor Adam West?</strong></strong></p>
<p>Nothing about acting is fun unless you make it fun creatively. Both characters just have fun in quite different ways. Batman is crazy and Mayor West is terminally quirky.</p>
<p><strong><strong>Who was your favorite Catwoman-Julie Newmar, Eartha Kitt or Lee Meriwether?</strong></strong></p>
<p>I&#39;ve fortunately been able to combine all three in my imagination. This gives me the most talented and seductive Catwoman any mere mortal man would ever encounter.</p>
<p><strong><strong>You&#39;ve hilariously played yourself in many animated series and your fans love it but do you ever get tired of playing Adam West?</strong></strong></p>
<p>Thank you. I think funny. No, I don&#39;t get tired of playing Adam West. Just send the check please. It&#39;s harder to play yourself than another character. It&#39;s a tight-wire.</p>
<p><em>Check out Adam West and the other celbrities participating in <a href="http://soundoff.autismspeaks.org/site/c.ahJOK2MIJfLWH/b.8455933/k.BE03/Home.htm">Sound Off for Autism Speaks</a>.</em></p>
NewsAdam WestbatmanInterviewSound Off For Autism SpeaksFri, 11 Oct 2013 15:14:22 +0000Felipe Maya246441 at https://www.autismspeaks.orgKarla Begley: Answer to Hateful Letter is to Spread Autism Acceptance https://www.autismspeaks.org/news/news-item/karla-begley-answer-hateful-letter-spread-autism-acceptance
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<p>Kerry Magro recently spoke with Karla Begley, the mother from Canada on the hate-filled letter about her son Max who has autism.</p>
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<span class="date-display-single">September 03, 2013</span> </div>
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<p><em>Autism Speaks Staffer Kerry Magro had a chance to speak with Karla Begley, the Canadian mother who received a hate-filled letter from a neighbor who was angered by the behavior of her son Max who has autism. The shocking letter has since gone viral and sparked an outpouring of support.</em></p>
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<p><strong>Kerry Magro:</strong> Hi Karla. We appreciate your time today to help answer a few questions. So Karla, can you&nbsp;tell us a little about your son?</p>
<p><strong>Karla Begley:</strong> <em>Oh Max. Well, he&rsquo;s 13, has autism and loves life. He&rsquo;s my little angel. He&rsquo;s very smart. We always kind of joke around. Our oldest son Jackson, he&rsquo;s 15 and he has high functioning autism. Max has a lot more common sense about the world but loves to have fun. He can be so silly at times and he loves physical activity. He&rsquo;s just always moving around; it&rsquo;s hard to keep up with him at times.</em></p>
<p><strong>KM:</strong> Can you tell us a bit more about what happened?</p>
<p><strong>KB</strong>: <em>About two-and a-half weeks ago, Max was at my Mom&rsquo;s house about two towns over from where we live. My mom was checking her mail and found the letter and was completely disgusted by what she saw.</em></p>
<p><em>She was completely mortified and disgusted by the wording of the letter. She didn&rsquo;t like the wording especially the term &ldquo;euthanize&rdquo;. Max I would say spends about 20 percent of his time at my mother&rsquo;s house and this was a complete and total shock.</em></p>
<p><strong>KM:</strong> Do you have any idea who wrote the letter?</p>
<p><strong>KB:</strong> <em>We don&rsquo;t but the police are looking into it, and taking my mom&rsquo;s fingerprints to see if they can see any other prints on the letter. A detective was just at our house the other day. From what they said, it seems to me that they are on the right track. One thing they are doing is sending forms to everyone in the neighborhood to get more information from them&nbsp;if they know of anything.</em></p>
<p><strong>KM</strong>: What was your immediate reaction to the letter?</p>
<p><strong>KB</strong>: <em>One thing many people don&rsquo;t talk about is that the incident didn&rsquo;t happen at my house. Although it happened at my mother&rsquo;s house it was targeted at Max because he&rsquo;s always the one there and going around the neighborhood. So I finally found out about it that day from my husband. He said that there was a nasty letter written about Max. The neighbors in my mom&rsquo;s neighborhood got a hold of it and started posting it.</em></p>
<p><em>My immediate reaction was that it made me sick, sick to my stomach. I didn&rsquo;t know what to think about what would happen next until it got posted online. Even though I&rsquo;m disgusted about it, there&rsquo;s been so much support from everyone both locally and nationally. It&rsquo;s made things good from getting it out there but also a little overwhelming with all the attention our family has been receiving.</em></p>
<p><strong>KM:</strong> What was the reaction from your neighbors?</p>
<p><strong>KB</strong>: <em>My Mom&rsquo;s neighbors have been up in arms and proactive about the entire situation. They have stood behind Max and what&rsquo;s going on.</em></p>
<p><em>My neighbors have also been really good about it. We moved to our neighborhood in Oshawa, Canada in March 2000 and Max was born in April 2000 so he&rsquo;s spent his entire life here. Our community has been very warm towards him and all of his transitioning to this point. I can remember times when Max would throw clothes and CDs into other people&rsquo;s yards but all the neighbors would always collect them and bring them back. And they were very understanding. &nbsp;</em></p>
<p><strong>KM:</strong> Has life changed for you since your mother received the letter?</p>
<p><strong>KB:</strong> <em>My life hasn&rsquo;t that much but Max&rsquo;s absolutely has. People have been so warm to Max, saying hi to him when he&rsquo;s out. For me, I haven&rsquo;t had that much time to get out but friends have been visiting and sending their best wishes.</em></p>
<p><strong>KM:</strong> What do you think is the most importation lesson to be learned?</p>
<p><strong>KB:</strong> <em>It&rsquo;s all about acceptance. There are a lot of us (families affected by autism) out there in the world. People stare and give off rude expressions. I just think it&rsquo;s important to treat people as people. There&rsquo;s always going to be that one person that is going to be ignorant but hopefully they can change because we aren&rsquo;t going anywhere. Our voices are just getting louder and louder.</em></p>
<p><strong>KM:</strong> If there was one message you could share with our community about the incident what would it be?</p>
<p><strong>KB:</strong> <em>We have to keep pushing out there and have a thick skin towards our community. We&rsquo;ve fought for everything we&rsquo;ve done for Max. We won&rsquo;t give up and we hope these types of people get quieter as we get louder and spread acceptance and awareness. Life is short. Anything can happen. Be careful how you treat people because it can happen to you. Max is a blessing. Don&rsquo;t get me wrong but ignorant people need a dose of reality. They need a day in our shoes.</em></p>
<p><strong>KM:</strong> How is your son doing now?</p>
<p><strong>KB:</strong> <em>Well, my son doesn&rsquo;t know about the letter but he&rsquo;s been more vibrant and more sure of himself because people have been coming up to him and saying hi. &nbsp;His positivity has skyrocketed. He&rsquo;s actually smiling at me right now.</em></p>
<p><strong>KM:</strong> Karla, thank you so much for speaking with us! We send our support and stand with you on this and look forward to speaking with you again soon!</p>
<p><em>You can read more about Karla&rsquo;s story via the Huffington Post <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/28/karla-begley-response-hate-filled-autism-note_n_3831153.html">here</a>. Lorri Unumb, Vice President of State Government Affairs here at Autism Speaks wrote a response to the hateful&nbsp;letter about Max and shared her own experience with harassment which you can find on our blog <a href="http://www.autismspeaks.org/blog/2013/08/30/hate-filled-letter-stirs-old-memories">here</a>.&nbsp;</em></p>
NewsAcceptanceautismautism acceptancehate letterHuffington PostInterviewKarla BegleyKerry MagroMax BegleyTue, 03 Sep 2013 16:36:12 +0000Kerry Magro243161 at https://www.autismspeaks.org